Lesson 14: Why Accreditation?
Jennifer Drumm
May 1, 2001
Why accreditation?
Schools must be accredited to improve the standards and quality of education.
The Commission on Colleges (http://www.sacscoc.org/genaccproc.asp)
states:
Central to the accreditation process is the self-study. Each institution applying for accreditation or renewal of accreditation is required to conduct a comprehensive study of its purpose, programs, and services. On each campus, faculty, administrators, staff, students, trustees, and others serve on committees, which study all aspects of the institution, report their findings, and offer advice on improvement. This process results in a document evaluating the institution's effectiveness in reaching its stated goals and its compliance with the Criteria.
This self-study process allows the schools to evaluate themselves as compared to their philosophy, goals, and objectives. It provides the school and community with feedback on the education being offered.
We can compare this to the state's District Effectiveness and Compliance visits where schools have to evaluate and document the programs being offered on campuses. Many times the DEC visits will spur some changes that should take place anyway.
Who oversees it?
Accreditation is overseen by different institutions depending on the nature of the program being offered. The Commission on Colleges and Southern Association of Schools is the recognized accrediting body for 11 southern states for those institutions of higher education that award associate, baccalaureate, master's or doctoral degrees. The Texas Education Agency (http://www.tea.state.tx.us/account.eval/) would be the accrediting entity for public schools (K-12) in the state of Texas.
The institutions of accreditation are overseen by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (http://www.chea.org) and/or the US Department of Education (http://www.ed.gov/index.html).
What type of supporting evidence is needed?
According to the content in Module 14 of Comm 5350, criteria for accreditation
includes:
During an accreditation visit the committee will also review documentation and conduct interviews. Districts receiving accreditation visits from TEA must organize supporting documentation according to the guidelines in the District Effectiveness and Compliance guidelines.
What differences, if any, exist between accreditation of regular instructional programs and distance learning programs?
There should not be any differences between accreditation of distance programs and regular instructional programs. The only instance where I can see problems are programs that are open across lines of accrediting institutions.
A statement that shows this concern is found in Module:
Accreditation in the distance education field is a rapidly evolving
area of concern due to all the different distance instructional delivery methods
being employed and the array of both private and public institutions involved
in these efforts. It is important to know who or whom is providing the education
to the learners, and the standards of excellence and academic rigor which the
instructors, faculty and course developers bring to the process. Equally important
to know is exactly what levels of degree granting authorization students can
expect when taking classes from different distance-learning provider entities.
What role are the new information technologies and educational communications playing in counteracting and changing the strongest criticism of distance education?
The demand for distance education is causing people to pay more attention to what is being offered and the credentials of those offering courses. The increased demand has also caused rivalries between institutions offering courses. These rivalries will ensure that programs are successful.